Pawning Her Off
by quirky21
Summary: Olivia doesn't appreciate being pawned off on the real Sebastian just because Viola now has Duke. Revised and complete. OMG
1. Presumptious Girl

A/N - One of my earliest stories. Aghast at the laziness and lack of quality that dominated this piece, I did some gentle revisions. It's not much better... lol but hey, it's finished now at least.

Revised 05Jan2013

* * *

**Chapter 1:**

_**Presumptuous Girl**_

Olivia Lennox charged into her floral scented, very cutely decorated dorm, curly blonde hair flying behind her, feet stomping on the industrial carpet. Startled by the violent entry, her roommate, and best friend, looked up from her trashy romance novel. As soon as the door shut, the blonde let loose a torrent of emotions that she had kept pent up during her entire walk across campus.

"Whom did she think she was, trying to pawn me off on her brother? Just because they're twins, and she was pretending to be boy doesn't mean she was acting like him at all." Olivia threw her hands wide and growled. "They're nothing alike. It took about three days for everyone to stop expecting him to be anything like _Sebastian _at all. He's quiet, chivalrous, hates anything to do with shopping, has an iron stomach, can write amazing lyrics, smells very manly, and he gets it when someone is or isn't interested in him."

"Basically, he acts like a boy." Maria summed up neatly.

Olivia stopped her broad gestures and sighed. "Yes."

"And he isn't the guy you fell for."

The frazzled blonde started to pace in the small room. "Exactly. Now I have to be all buddy-buddy because that first week was great. I got to hide behind the real Sebastian and forget what I really felt. Oh that girl pisses me off." Her arms started gesturing wildly again, punctuating her frustrated exclamations.

Maria nodded agreeably even though her friend was too busy ranting to notice.

"She acts like she's completely oblivious to what she did to me. Duke and soccer are all she cares about. Her brother was beyond thrilled to meet the random cute girl that kissed him and to have a chance to get away from his crazy ex. He wasn't exactly happy when Viola assumed we would start dating right away, that there would be this big happy ending. Sebastian was especially pissed when he figured out Viola was hoping I would just transfer my feelings for the fake Sebastian to the real one. Having his sister use him like that didn't sit well with him."

"Oooo." Maria was nodding again as a light bulb went off in her head. "So that's why they had that big fight on campus last week."

"Yes."

"Okay, so you two broke up after dating for two weeks. That was almost a month ago. Why are you blowing up now?"

Olivia glared at her best friend. "You didn't hear?"

"Apparently not," the dry response.

"Right after her fight with Seb, she had a big one with Duke. Girl came to me for advice."

Maria burst out in disbelieving laughter. "She didn't?"

Hand on hip, Olivia replied angrily. "Oh, she did."

"Did Vi ever apologize to you for the whole soccer debacle?"

"No, and she even had the nerve to ask if we could spend the weekend together. Duke is going camping with Toby and Andrew, her mom is doing a Junior League fund-raiser, and Seb's band has a gig. Just us."

Eyes about ready to pop from her exploding skull, Maria stared. "What about her posse?"

"Paul has to work and her girls are spending the weekend in New York to see some Broadway show she hates."

"So, she doesn't want to be bored and you were like, the only one left."

"Exactly!" Olivia huffed. "Why did she have to transfer to Illyria? The Cornwall team would've taken her back."

"No wonder you look like you're gonna pull your extensions out."

"You said you wouldn't tease me about those."

A shrug. "I lied. What did you tell her?"

"About my hair extensions?" Olivia's tortured brain was having trouble keeping up.

Maria eyed her friend critically, worried that maybe Olivia should lay off the hair dye for a while. "About spending the weekend alone with her."

"No." Olivia replied with no hesitation.

"No? Why not?"

"Maria, I'm not going to do that to myself. Besides, she's a big girl and can spend the weekend doing something by herself. Like, maybe do her homework."

"Do what to yourself?" She asked carefully.

Olivia flopped onto her bed, suddenly drained. "Drop it."

Her friend sat up straighter and looked over, concerned and absolutely not going to ignore something so obviously juicy. "Come on, Livie. Fess up, are you still like, crushing on her?"

"On _her_? I fell for the boy that she was pretending to be."

"Yea, and then she turned out to be a girl. Her personality never changed, just her physical appearance, the stupid boy voice, and name. Hon, admit it. Your crush got even worse when she started wearing the girls' uniform."

Olivia turned on her side, putting her back to Maria. "You're talking nonsense." She whispered.

"I'm not and you know it." Maria pointed a righteous finger at her friend.

Silence reigned for several moments, broken only by Olivia's sniffling. Maria waited patiently for an answer, thinking that comfort could wait until the girl admitted the truth. Hard love and all that. That's the code her own mother had lived by and Maria had turned out just fine. Eventually, Olivia rolled over, revealing her red eyes and wet cheeks, and therefor admitting that Maria was right. Battle won, Maria transferred herself to Olivia's bed and gathered the crying girl in her arms.

"You're right." Olivia muttered weakly. "I haven't looked at guys the same way since Viola came into my life."

"And Viola, how do you look at her now?" She prodded gently.

Olivia mulled the question over before responding. "Like I've never looked at anyone before. My fingers itch to touch her skin. I want to smell her hair. I could just sit and drink in the sight of her forever. I smile just thinking about her."

Stroking blonde curls, Maria clucked her tongue. "You've got it bad, Livie."

"Great, I get to be the desperate closet case crushing after a very taken, straight girl. My life is going to be a complete hell." She groaned.

"Aw, it won't be all that bad." Her bestie tried to temper the negative emotions.

"Yea? Tell me how it won't be."

Maria didn't know how to respond. Olivia took her silence as answer enough. She let her emotions take over and cried her heart out in her friend's lap. Maria continued stroking blonde hair, unable to bring herself to mutter 'it'll be okay'. She knew firsthand how hard it was to crush on someone completely unavailable. Despite how her favorite romance novels waxed on about unrequited love that morphed into mutual devotion, she knew real life rarely worked out that way.


	2. What's the Damage

**Chapter 2: **

_**What's the Damage**_

Several hours later, Olivia sat at her desk working on homework. Maria was once again back on her own bed, reading her novel. Olivia's phone rang loudly. Maria picked it up from the bedside table, glanced at the face curiously, and walked it to her friend.

"Thanks."

"No prob." Maria hopped onto Olivia's solid wood desk. A glittery pen caught her attention, so she picked it up and twirled it around.

Olivia looked at the caller ID which displayed an unfamiliar number. She hesitated, but decided she could use a break from her boring assignment and answered. "Hello?"

"Hey, lovely, how are you?" A masculine voice came through.

"Who is this?"

"This is Paul."

The volume was loud enough that Maria could hear the voice clearly. She mouthed 'Paul who?'.

Olivia shrugged. "Paul?" She left the name open for clarification.

A tisk and quiet sigh responded first, then the guy clarified. "Liv, sweetie, this is Viola's Paul."

She pulled the phone away, clamped a hand over the mic, and hissed to her friend. "Why is he calling me?"

Maria shrugged uselessly.

Frowning, she putting the phone back to her ear. Her voice was only slightly less pleasant. "Oh, hey. What's up?"

"I was wondering how you're doing. You know, the whole boy turned girl fiasco. I'm pretty sure you've by now realized how oblivious to others she can be."

"I'm not sure what you're talking about." Olivia hedged.

"Don't play dumb with me. I was at the game too. I saw your face when Viola decided to flash everyone." Olivia made a noise as if to interrupt, but Paul continued on. "I also heard the rumors about Illyria's royalty's crush on the new guy. That new guy was my headstrong Vi, and she probably never even apologized to you, right?"

Olivia swallowed hard, looking at her bestie for direction. Maria urged her to continue talking. After clenching and unclenching her jaw, Olivia dodged the questions by asking one of her own. "I don't mean to be rude, but why do you care how I feel?"

"Because I know what it's like for your emotions to be royally messed with. Viola is not much better than a guy in that department. Trust me, I know about guys. Gay ones and straight ones."

"So Viola screwed with my head, I'll get over it."

"She screwed with your heart too and don't tell me you don't know what I'm talking about. I just want to know how badly."

Olivia's anger abruptly flared, and all pretense of cordial pleasantry faded from her tone. "What, are you going to go report back to her if I tell you? Is this some sort of sick joke, because if it is . . ."

Paul cut in hastily. "No. No. Vi doesn't even know I'm calling and I don't intend to tell her either. I'm asking for your sake. Vi can kill me later for it."

Silence filled the air. "Did you hang up on me?"

Olivia remembered to breathe again. "No."

"So, tell me. What's the damage?"

Maria watched her friend's eyes fill with tears. She squeezed her friend's hand in support and gave her silent approval to trust him.

Emotions still raw from her earlier outburst, she decided to be truthful. "Complete demolition."

"Darn. Fell for her that hard, huh?"

"Yes." She admitted softly.

"Is it your first crush on a girl?" The question was loaded though his voice was gentle about it.

"No." Olivia actually wiped her brow with her free hand. "Thank goodness."

"Really?" He squeaked. "I wasn't expecting that."

"Most people don't. They all automatically assume Miss Perfection Lennox is completely straight."

Paul's voice rose an octave in surprise. "You're bi?"

"Yes. Is that a problem?" Her voice hardened in defensive anger.

"Huh? No. I don't ride that fence. The brutal honesty just threw me a bit."

"Oh."

"So, the problem is not that she's a girl, but rather, her big, fat web of lies. She pretended to be a boy that was totally into girls, and was therefore fair game for you. In reality, she turned out to be an uber straight girl with a huge crush on Duke. She then tried to pawn you off onto her equally straight brother, who wasn't even close to the boy you fell for. Am I missing anything?"

"He's like, scary good." Maria whispered.

"Yea he is."

Paul cut into their whispered exchange. "I missed that. What?"

"I was thinking out loud. You are frighteningly accurate."

"Why thank you. Long years of being Vi's and Kia's friend has forced me to learn how to piece together random facts to complete the bizarre, fractured stories they constantly regale me with."

Olivia just had to chuckle at his long suffering tone. "You did miss one thing."

"Oh?"

"Yes. You do know that the happy couple had a huge fight?"

"I was the first to know, besides everyone who heard them screaming." Paul's voice clearly conveyed 'like, duh."

"Well, she had the nerve to come to me for relationship advice."

"She didn't." Aghast at Viola's behavior, Paul gasped. Maria giggled at the familiar response. "Who else am I speaking to?"

"Just my roomie, Maria."

"I take it she said the same thing I just did?"

Maria giggled, and a small smile graced Olivia's face. "Yes. Oh, and another thing."

"What else did my Vi do to you?"

"She invited me to spend the weekend alone with her. Shopping, ice cream, watching movies in pajamas, and lots of popcorn."

"Really?" His tone was very intrigued. "So that's what she was talking about when she told Kia and Yvonne not to worry about her this weekend. Hmm. She hasn't invited you to do anything before, has she?"

"Nope."

"Olivia?"

She could hear the clear mischief in his tone, and was not sure if she wanted to know what was coming next. "What?"

"Have you ever tried to seduce anyone?"


	3. Concrete Catwalk

**Chapter 3: **

_**Concrete Catwalk**_

The Hastings house and shrubbery loomed at her, filling her vision and her mind with visions of humiliation and rejection. Olivia sank further into the leather seat of Maria's car. "I don't think I can do this."

"Yes. You can." Strength, inspiration, and loyalty were buried in that reply. Not that Olivia noticed, too busy in freak-out mode as she was.

"But what if she freaks out and I end up in tears again?"

This time, Maria hesitated. Seeing her best friend in tears was not her favorite thing.

"I don't want to cry any more."

"It's too late. You told her three days ago that you'd be here. In fact, you're like, already late, Miss Perfection."

"I could call and tell her something came up."

Her friend gave her an exasperated look. "Believable. Seriously."

"Look. I'm scared. Seduction was never my strong suit. I've never had to do it before."

"I know, I know. You're like, pheromone-city. We talked about this. You are just gonna be normal, beautiful Olivia. Well, flirty, sexy, teasing Olivia, who may have to be like, extremely blunt in Viola's case."

"Somehow, I do not find that helpful."

"Look, hon. If you don't get out of my car in the next ten seconds, I will shove you out. As it is, we've been in front her house for twenty minutes. I'm sure she's noticed."

Horrified at the thought of Viola knowing how nervous she was, she jumped out of the car. "Dang. I can't believe that didn't occur to me."

"You were too busy being nervous. Now, here's your bag. I'll only come get you if she freaks out and goes Stephen King on your ass."

"Thanks." She said drily.

"You're welcome. Go get her, Tiger." Maria offered her a high-five.

Olivia laughed nervously, but slapped their hands together. "Right. Let's do this thing." She composed herself quickly and thanked six years of modeling for her outward poise and confidence. Pretending the walkway was a concrete catwalk, she smiled and strutted to the door.

"Work it, baby. Viola, hon. You ain't got a snowball's chance in hell." The teen in the car gave an unseen thumbs-up before driving away.

Olivia almost made it to the door before it flew open. A very excited Viola came rushing out. "Olivia, you came!" She stopped just short of bowling the surprised blonde over.

Momentarily thrown by how excited Viola was to see her, Olivia almost forgot her mission. "I told you that I would."

"Yea, but I wasn't sure you actually would. You did tell me no at first. In fact, it was a very loud and irritated NO."

"Well, I'm here now. Don't girls usually come rushing out of their houses to give their guests hugs? You usually never even listen when people tell you not to. Why aren't you now?"

Wide-eyed, Viola stammered out a long-winded ramble. "I uh, wasn't sure that would be cool. You didn't seem like the touchy-feely kinda girl what with you always making fun of Kia and me. Never seemed like you would be especially thrilled with me jumping on you." The other girl blushed lightly, her mind instantly painting a vivid picture. Luckily, Viola was too busy looking at the ground to see it. "And you haven't exactly talked to me since you and Seb broke up. Me and you hugging didn't seem like such a great idea. So, I thought I should wait for permission or something . . ."

Olivia smiled. "Viola, you have permission to hug me."

The twin took her eyes off the concrete. Her brilliant smile returned. "Really?"

For an answer, Olivia opened her arms. She stumbled back at the sheer force Viola launched forward with. The embrace was more than overwhelming. Her senses exploded at the touch and smell of the girl in her arms. She was squeezed tightly, her body pressed into the twin's. Paul's plan suddenly seemed very much worth the risk. When Viola released her grip, she swooned.

"You okay?"

"Y-yea. Just kind of hugged the breathe out of me." Olivia made a show of gasping for air. It helped calm her down.

"Oh, my bad. Come on." Viola grabbed a hand and practically dragged the other girl inside, then up the stairs to her room. "Did you bring your bathing suit?"

"Yes."

"Good, because I want to go to the beach."

"Now?"

"Yep."

Mentally going through the plans that Viola had babbled through, Olivia replied. "I thought you wanted to go Sunday."

"I changed my mind, is it cool?"

"Oh, sure. I've been wanting to show you up anyway."

They reached Viola's room where the twin began rummaging through her drawers. "Show me up?"

Olivia made herself comfortable on the bed. Her eyes lingered comfortably as Viola bent over to open the bottom drawer. "My ass will look way better in a bikini than yours."

"Who told you that?" She objected.

A smirk lifted Olivia's lips. "No one told me. You just gave me a great view of it."

"Right, guess I did. It's gorgeous, isn't it. Most people can't help but stare at it."

"True. Maybe I should call nine-one-one. I'm pretty sure it's illegal to own something that can cause heart failure in those addicted to it."

Viola looked over at the blonde and frowned slightly. "I didn't know you could flirt."

"I didn't know you paid any attention to me." Shocked, Viola's jaw sagged open. Olivia quickly racked her brain for a new subject. "Do you know how to surf? I'd like to put in some time on a board before the sun sets."

"You surf?" She demanded.

"Definitely. I learned how when I was modeling. I've done several swimsuit shoots, and I love watching the surfers. I decided to take some lessons when I was younger. Turns out, I'm pretty good at it and I did a couple competitions. That was amazing, I won a silver medal last year."

"Whoa. I'm so lame. I can only ride the little waves. Mom got Seb and I lessons when we were little. We both really suck at it though. There's a place to rent boards, right? Or do you have your own you'd rather use? Cuz I know using someone else's equipment can suck. OK, so I can only compare it to jetskiing, and I hate renting those. They are such a pain."

Viola might have taken a breath. "Every time, I'd have to take it back, because there was something wrong. You have to re-learn how each machine likes to play every time. I mean, before I convinced dad to buy me one. It took forever to convince him to. He complained he had to get a trailer for it and then the hitch for my car, then Sebastian wanted one too and he was super irritated at that. He told me no more vehicles until I turn eighteen. Although, last year he bought me my new Wrangler, forgetting what he said and . . . " She realized she was rambling and cut herself off abruptly. "Sorry."

Olivia smiled at the little tinge of pink on Viola's cheeks. "It's OK, Viola."

Viola stuffed her chosen beach-wear and towel in a tote. She looked up. "I didn't invite you over so you can just put up with me talking. I want you to have fun."

"You're cute when you go on like that. I don't mind at all. The entertainment far outweighs any annoyance."

The twin looked at her like she was insane. "So, did you want to stop by your place for a board?"

"It's up to you."

"And I asked you."

"You're the one who is driving, so it is your decision."

"Fine." Viola grabs her keys off her desk and strides over to Olivia. She grabs a hand and thrusts the metal into the palm. "Now it's yours."

"We're stopping by my place. Thank you for being so considerate." Before Viola had a chance to move away, Olivia slid up from the bed. She stood, their bodies almost touching. Leaning toward Viola's sunkissed neck, she inhaled deeply. "You smell good."

The taller girl blushed, unsure what to make of Olivia's closeness. "Um, thanks?"

Olivia pulled her head back to look at her face, taking careful note of the pink flush. "Oh, you are welcome. I don't want to drag my whole bag with me. Do you have an extra tote and towel?"

"Y-yea." She stumbled back from the awkward closeness and turned to find the asked-for items. The blonde mentally cheered. That was the second blush she had caused. "Is this good?" Viola handed her a small woven bag and large Transformers beach towel. Olivia suppressed a chuckle. "Hey, don't make fun. You could've brought your own."

"No. This is perfect."

"I've got some water bottles and some apples in a bag downstairs. We can order pizza on the way home. Cool?"

"As long as we get Hawaiian. I _love_ pineapple."

"You do? Awesome. Gimme five, sistah."

The two laughed and exchanged high-fives. "I'll race you down," Olivia challenged.

"You're on."

"Ready?" Olivia took off giggling. "Go."

"No fair. You cheated."

"Yes, I did, and you now owe me."

They had reached the bottom, Viola just a step behind. "Owe you?"

Affecting a Valley-girl tone, Olivia did the head snap and hand wave. "Well, I won. I should get a prize."

"You cheated." Trying to stifle her snorts of laughter, Viola argued.

"You didn't name any rules."

"Fine. What do you want?"

"I'll think of something later."

"You demanded a prize and didn't even know what you wanted?" Walking through the kitchen, Viola grabbed her other bag.

"It's like a coupon, I'm just saving it for later."

Viola rolled her eyes. They entered the garage. "I took the top off for the weekend. It's so much fun when everyone turns to look at who's in the cool Jeep. I blow the other drivers kisses sometimes." She tossed their bags in the back.

"Remind me to drive next to you." Olivia opened the passenger side door, much to the twin's surprise.

Viola climbed in, watching as Olivia closes the door. "Duke never did that for me."

"He always seemed like the type. Weird."

"Yea." Her eyes tracked the blonde around the front and into the driver's seat. "You can adjust the seat with that lever."

The blonde looked down and fiddled with the black metal. After several seconds with no success, she groaned. "Darn it. My car has a button that you push for this. It's so much easier that way." She looked up helplessly, batting her long lashes. "Help?"

"Sure." Viola leaned over immediately to work the lever. The angle was all wrong and she readjusted herself.

"Not shy, are you?" Bright green eyes looked up to see her own hand firmly planted between two tanned thighs. She jerked her hand and body back, face turning bright red. Olivia giggled to recover from the close contact.

"So, how far is your place?"

"Not far, you won't have much time to come up with another excuse to grope me." Paul had said that if she didn't let up on the teasing, she would be rewarded with Viola's sexy blush. Olivia grinned happily at her reward that was gracing Viola's ears, neck, and face.

"I think I might be starting to regret this." Viola grumbled.

"I hope not. I'm starting to wonder why I ever told you 'no'."

"Can we just get going?"

"Absolutely." Olivia turned the engine over, still smiling. So far, so good.


	4. Hesitation

**Chapter 4: **

_**Hesitation**_

"Holy crap!" Viola cried, knuckles white as they clutched at the Jeep's frame.

Looking rather innocent, Olivia glanced at her passenger. "What?"

"I didn't know you drove like Sebastian."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Uh, hello. Did you not notice the speed limit sign? It said thirty-five, not fifty."

"You've been quiet since we left and now you open up to complain about my driving? Don't tell me Viola Hastings doesn't speed around town? You do everything else your own way."

Glaring, Viola grunted. "I obey the law."

"Just not the rules?"

"What are you talking about? I've never been flagged for a foul on the field. I get to school on time, and I've never had detention."

"So, what about when you pretended to be your brother? I can think of at least a dozen rules you broke for your own selfish gain."

Viola's mumbled something about that being different and all.

Olivia shook her head, having half hoped for an apology. She sighed, resigning to herself to not expect one. "Well, this is my place. I'm going to change here. Do you want to come in?"

"Actually, I promised Seb that I'd call him today. I should probably do it now, before I forget."

"Sure. Be back soon."

Olivia heard the initial hello, though she stepped inside before she caught more. She retrieved her shorts, board, and some straps to secure it to the roof. Her sudden reappearance seemed to startle Viola. The blonde tossed the bag of clothes in back, ignoring the tail-end of Viola's conversation. With the agility of much practice, she climbed the side of the Wrangler and heaved her board on top. Before the twin had a chance to offer her assistance, Olivia had the straps tied and was back in the driver's seat.

"Whoa. That was cool."

"Huh?"

"You totally just strapped a surf board to the top of my Jeep all by yourself. You aren't exactly tall and beefy." Olivia gave the brunette a dirty glare for the short comment. "I mean, you're a perfect height for your body. Totally cute, slender, but muscular. You've got great boobs and these amazing blue eyes. Uh, anyway, cute, short girl loads mammoth board on rugged Jeep. It was very hott. I mean cool. I'm going to stop?"

"You feeling okay, Viola?"

"Yeah. I just really want you to start driving now, before I start talking again."

Olivia laughed lightly as she started the engine. "What did you and Seb talk about?" She asked, looking behind them as she backed out of the drive. Braking to switch the Jeep into drive, she looked at Viola expectantly.

"Girls." Looking at the passing scenery, Viola responded offhandedly.

"Oh?" Olivia inquired, watching her passenger's face.

Viola stuttered, looking like she just got caught with her hand in the cookie jar. "H-he has this new girlfriend that just doesn't get why he's never home on the weekends."

"Who else?"

"What?"

Curiosity peeked, Olivia continued her questions. "You said 'girls', plural. Who else were you talking about?"

Viola looked ready to climb out of the Jeep, moving or not. "Oh, yea. I uh, I guess you. We talked about you, cuz I had told him how you'd completely shut me down when I asked you to hang this weekend. I was telling him how we were going to beach and he wanted to know why."

"Am I a usual topic for you two?"

"Yes, n-no. Kinda? Are we there yet?"

"I thought you wanted me to follow the speed-limit?"

"I'll make an exception. Get me to the beach. I'm talking again."

"Viola, I told you it's okay with me when you ramble on. It's especially okay if you're going to start telling me how hott I am again."

"Do you still model?" Viola opted for a complete change in conversation.

Graciously, Olivia accepted the new topic, though she made a mental note to needle Vi more in the future. "Not really. With this being my senior year, I wanted more time to study, and get into a decent college. I also thought about taking up a sport."

"You could do basketball, you've got the upper body strength."

"I was thinking tennis."

Viola barked out a short laugh. "Olivia in a short skirt, how original."

"Hey! There is nothing wrong with wearing skirts as short as the dress code allows.

"Nothing wrong, if you don't mind everyone seeing up it when you bend over."

"They cannot." Olivia objected heatedly.

"Andrew and Duke would beg to differ. Let's see, I'm pretty sure he said your panties were orange with blue dots on Monday."

Olivia blushed furiously. "Oh, my God. Duke still stares at my ass?" She realized that probably was not what she should have said.

Viola snorted when Olivia did not deny the choice of panties. "Admitting there's a problem is half the battle. Wait, you didn't know Duke still likes you?"

If Olivia had not been driving, she would have stared and gaped at the brunette. As it was, she settled for opening and closing her jaw several times and not hitting that little Toyota that just suddenly braked. "But, he's dating you. I thought you two were going strong, except for that fight last week."

"Duke is still a guy. Guys don't pass up the opportunity to stare at a great butt. He did like you first. You're still kind of a sore subject between us."

"The night I kissed your brother and he saw us?"

"He always asks me what would have happened if it had been _me_ you kissed."

The blonde hesitated, wanting to ask 'what would have?', but wasn't really sure she wanted to know. She concentrating on parking in an empty space at the lot by the beach to delay her answer. "Guess we'll never know, huh?"

"Y-yeah. Guess not." Viola agreed.


	5. Sexy Goddess

**Chapter 5: **

_**Sexy Goddess**_

"Seduce Viola? Just who was I trying to kid? The girl is so dense." Olivia grumbled to herself, watching Viola try to mount her surfboard and fall back off. "I thought she said she could ride the little waves? I hope she wasn't talking about _on sand_." She dragged her hand across her eyes, trying to subdue her boredom and frustration.

"Stupid board!" The brunette sputtered as her head reappeared above the water. "I swear it knows exactly when to move so it can throw me off. Where's my easy button? That dumb Staples commercial, playing on our insecurities, lulling us into . . ." Continuing to mutter under her breath, Viola heaved herself onto the floating board. "Olivia? Why can't I stand on this thing? I'm never going to catch a wave like this. Man, at least grass doesn't shift under your feet. Unless it's muddy, then it does, but this is _way_ worse. Is there something I'm missing? " She whined.

"Co-ordination? Grace? Any talent whatsoever?" The blonde whispered.

"What?"

"Just try again. You are doing great."

"I am?"

"Oh, yes. I think you're starting to get the hang of it. I'm positive you'll nail it soon."

Viola's face lit up, she beamed a million-watt-smile at her friend, and readied herself for another attempt.

Rolling her eyes, Olivia laughed lightly. "She is so adorable. Master of the moving ball is dominated by the rolling waves. Maybe I should show her up some. A little competition always seems to get her going. Revved up Viola is way too sexy not to enjoy" She glanced seaward. Her practiced eyes caugh the promise of a great wave and she paddled toward it.

"Where are you going?"

The blonde grinned playfully and called back. "I thought I could show you how it's supposed to be done."

Viola's bottom lip jutted out, but she settled herself to watch. After all, if she could learn to surf, she was sure she could work it into her soccer skills somehow. Intent to catch every movement, she shut out anything that could possibly distract her. Sounds from the beach faded, the slap of water was ignored, her senses focused on the seasoned surfer.

_Wait for it_. Eyes closed, Olivia absorbed the feel, the smell, the pulse of the ocean.

_Closer._ Her breathing steadied, muscles relaxed. This was her domain.

_It's here_. Adrenaline surged, eyes snapped open. She was ready.

Go! The surfer popped up, her feet grip the board, both arms snapped out for balance, and she grinned wildly. The wave was hers.

Olivia reveled in the power beneath her feet, the raw energy propelling her forward. She whooped in ecstasy as she busted a few tricks, twisting her body to and fro, catching some air. Eventually, the wave petered out, forcing Olivia to disengage and return to Viola.

Excited would have been a gross understatement of the energy pouring off of the brunette upon Olivia's return. If Viola could, she would have been jumping up and down. She made a good attempt at it, splashing and wiggling on her board.

"Olivia, oh my god, that was awesome. You didn't tell me you were that good. I mean, you did, but it SO did not even begin to cover the awesomeness of what I just witnessed. You were incredible, godlike! The Beckham of surfing. You made it look so sleek and easy. It was like you were one-with-waves, you worked that bad boy. Dominated it like a sexy goddess. Beautiful, amazing, wild, fantastic, I just don't have the words to describe how, _awesome_ you were out there!"

Gliding up to her crush, the blonde's body practically glowed with pride. There was nothing like riding a sweet wave to set her nerves on fire and get her blood pumping. She caught the twin's hand, using it as an anchor and twisted to face her. Not letting go of the warm hand, she grinned like a feral cat watching a mouse.

Viola blinked, unnerved. "Liv?"

"Thank you." She brought the hand to her lips, and gave it a light kiss. "For saying I look like a sexy goddess. It's always nice to hear you tell me I'm beautiful."

A blush heated up Viola's cheeks. "Um, yea. Anytime."

"Really?"

"What?"

"Anytime I want to hear you tell me I'm beautiful, you will? Wow, a girl could get used to that. It means so much coming from someone like you."

Cheeks growing darker, Viola tried to reply. "Wait. How did? This is, I mean, you are, but I didn't, I could, what?"

"Does anyone ever get a simple answer out of you? Trying to decipher Viola-babble, no matter how adorable it is, can be a little difficult sometimes."

"Yes. No. Wait. Viola-babble? Is it an adjective now? What do you mean someone like me? Can I have my hand back?" Viola focuses on her trapped appendage, unable to meet Olivia's tender gaze.

"No wonder you drive your mom bonkers. Your please-s and thank-you-s could use some serious help, not to mention your grammar by itself."

"Huh?"

"When you ask someone for something, you should say 'please'. Also, when someone compliments you, you should thank them."

"Please, may I have my hand back, Miss Lennox."

"She can be taught new tricks." Giggling, Olivia relinquished her hold.

Pout. "Hey! For someone who just gave me flack about etiquette, you could show some yourself, you know. Teasing people isn't exactly debutante behavior."

"You're right, I'm sorry, Vi. It was rude of me to pick on your shortcomings. Sometimes, I just can't help myself when I'm around you. You're just too cute when you blush."

"Um. Thank you, and um, you're forgiven."

Silence.

"So."

Tension.

"Awkward." The twin muttered.

"Yea." Olivia whispered. She looked down and mentally slapped herself. Duh. Ocean. Surfboard. "Want to try it again?"

Hesitation.

"What?"

"Surfing, silly. You're not just going to sit back after I totally, how did you put it, 'worked that bad boy'? It's not like you to back down from a challenge."

"Right." The brunette looks away, and out over the field of blue.

A moment passed. Olivia's lips twitched, and she lifted an eyebrow. "Well?"

"Right," the other girl repeated. This time, she met Olivia's eyes. "Let's do this. I can totally conquer this thing. I _will_ ride a wave without falling off!"

"Ride a wave? I was just talking about popping up on your board."

"Obviously, that's not getting me anywhere. I need to try riding the wave."

"But you'll just fall off. You could get seriously hurt."

"I can't get up until I fall," Viola explained.

"Say what?"

"Liv, seriously, I have to do the whole trick before I can smooth out the kinks."

"Are you speaking soccer to me?"

"Yes."

Olivia silently counted to three. "So, you're saying that you want to attempt the whole motion, knowing you're going to land on your head, relatively speaking."

"Yep."

"You are the most . . ."

"Courageous? Confident? Stupendous? Beautiful?" Viola put in helpfully.

The blonde gave her a glare for the last one. "Stubborn."

"That too. So, we gonna do this thing or what?"

"OK, but you're staying in front of me. I want to be able to dodge quickly went you go under."

"Not very supportive," Viola deadpanned.

"Objective. I wouldn't want to bruise your pretty face."

"Your concern is touching."

"I am always concerned about your welfare."

"You going to pick a wave out for us or are we going to sit here and exchange witty banter until the sun goes down."

Olivia tapped her finger to her lips, thinking. "Hmm. Witty banter sounds entertaining."

"Liiiiiiv!"

"All right," she giggled. The surfer eyed the incoming waves critically. "There's a decent one. Let's go."

-You cannot love a thing without wanting to fight for it. - Gilbert K. Chesterton


	6. Impossible Accomplished

**Chapter 6: **

_**Impossible Accomplished**_

"I just don't get it. You are, without a doubt, the only person I've ever met who manages to achieve the impossible, not once, but on regular occasion. The bigger the obstacle, the better you perform. It's insane. You're insane. It's dangerous to tell you something cannot be done, it won't work, you'll kill yourself. No, it only drives you to achieve it that much faster. I tell you that your first wave will dump you immediately and you ride it a full thirty seconds! You are the most incorrigible, stubborn, roguish, competitive, brazen person in the world it's everything that I . . ." Olivia stopped and looked away quickly.

"Everything you what?" Viola poked her in the ribs.

Annoyed and flustered, Olivia slapped the offending hand away a bit harshly. "It's what's going to eventually get you killed, that's what."

"Probably true, but that isn't what you were going to say."

"How do you know what I was going to say? You can't read my mind."

"I know you well enough."

"Oh, look, something shiny." Olivia pointed in a random direction.

"I'm not three and that's a brown rock."

"It worked last time."

Viola crossed her arms defensively. "What is this, Tease Viola Day? Did I miss the announcement somewhere?" Her hands drop to her hips and she leans forward. "Come on, Liv, tell me what you were going to say."

"No. It's not going to happen. Deal with it."

"Didn't I just hear you telling me about how I regularly achieve the impossible? This isn't the tactic to get me off your case."

"You are absolutely correct. You know what? I'm going to tell you something. I was right."

"Whoa, wait. Right about what?"

"My ass looks way better in a bikini."

"What! No way. You can't call that based on your own opinion. We can't even get a third-party to vote. Your butt is covered in board shorts." Viola argued.

"I have a bikini on underneath. I haven't gone commando while surfing since I was a newbie. Waves can do more than flip you off your board. They are bound and determined to humiliate the naive."

"Olivia, are we speaking from personal experience about the humiliation of public nudity?"

"Look, there's a really cute guy behind you."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. No distracting me, I distinctly heard naked in between those lines. Tell me more."

"That guy is way hot. He has these rippling muscles and some sand dusting his sexy tummy. Oh, my and his . . ."

Viola's body made a little jerking motion. "Olivia, even the promise of a live Chippendale's show going on behind my back is not getting you out of this one. Fess up and tell me about the time the waves stole your dignity."

Olivia shook her head. "No."

"Liv, sweetie, you're going to tell me."

"No."

The soccer player tried her innocent look, pouting a little. "Come on. You can't just leave me hanging like this."

"Your puppy-dog eyes are not going to break me. Leave it be, Vi."

Viola sighed, but refused to give up. "Nuh uh. Nope, not backing down this time."

The blonde opened her mouth.

"Not a chance of distracting me either."

Olivia turned away, attempting to give the soccer star the 'cold shoulder'.

The brunette studied her for a moment. "Hmm," she bit her thumb. An idea lit up her eyes and spread a mischievous grin across her lips. "Livie," she cooed. "With all this teasing today, it is really only fair that you share an embarrassing story about yourself."

Sun warmed lips twitched.

"Come on, beautiful. You like being called beautiful, right? It's just a little thing to give me."

A noncommittal sound escaped.

Viola kicked it up a bit. She moved closer, leaving only a hands width between them. She ducked down, and looked up sideways, into her friend's face. "Please, sexy goddess, tell me about it?"

Olivia involuntarily met Viola's gaze. Her eyes widened, breath hitched, and she felt her body turn to jelly. Both arms fall to her sides. She took a step back. "N-n-no."

The twin sighed. "Okay, Liv, I understand."

"You do?" She squeaked.

"Yep. This means I gotta get physical with you!"

Her mind instantly filled with vivid images of her favorite brunette becoming _very_ physical with her. "V-Viola."

Viola's fingers, prodding her sides, stole her breath. The soccer player pressed her advantage, giggling excitedly for her new game. Olivia tripped and both girls tumbled to the sand, Viola on top.

The squeal that erupted from the blonde as Viola tickled her mercilessly, drew the attention of the people around them. "OK. All right. You win. Stop."

"Yes!" Viola did an arm pump. She remained sitting on the surfer, her face alight with anticipation. "Tell me."

"It was my first competition. I made the mistake of letting my dad pack my stuff. He forgot my surf gear, so he bought me some at a stand. They didn't sell bikinis so he just picked out a surf tee and board shorts in my usual colors. I didn't think much of it when the shorts sat a little loose on my hips at the time, but halfway through my run I messed up." She sighs heavily.

"Yea?"

"The wave swallowed me and shook me up a bit. When I got to the beach, I realized everyone was staring at me. It took me a good minute to figure it out. That damn wave had taken my shorts, so I hid behind my board. My dad came running up to me with a towel, but it was too late, the pictures had been taken."

"Wow. That does really suck."

"It does. Now, will you get off me?"

"I bet I can find one of those pics online."

"No!" The blonde shouted. "Get off me, you fiend."

Viola blinked, then broke out in laughter. She leaned forward, placing her hands on Olivia's stomach. "Fiend? Did you seriously just call me a fiend?"

The blonde groaned and slapped her head back on the sand. Her mind reeled with the sensations of hot weight on her lap and Viola's hands on her stomach. She closed her eyes tightly and took a deep breath.

"Liv, hello?"

Olivia opened her eyes to look around for an escape, hoping for a nice shiny object or maybe a heavy rock. No such luck existed, but she did notice the small group of men drooling in their direction. She glanced up at Viola, who was looking down at her quizzically.

The soccer player's long brown hair was tangled and clinging to her face and shoulders. Her toned body was delectably sun-bronzed and dusted with sand. The burgundy bikini kept the twin barely modest. Drops of seawater meandered down her skin, leaving patterns that Olivia's fingers ached to follow. She grinned at the thought of what they must look like, two very hot girls wrestling on the beach.

A slightly concerned voice interrupted her train of thought. "Hello, Olivia. Are you still with me?" Viola's hand lightly tapped her cheek. "Earth, to blonde. Come in, blonde."

Olivia's smile widened, and she winked at their audience. "Yes, brunette?"

"You okay? You kinda zoned out on me."

A pair of hands slipped their way up the twin's tanned legs. They settled on her hips as Olivia sat up. Their sudden close proximity gave her shivers, but she covered them with her own question. "Why wouldn't I be fine when I have this beautiful woman in my lap who calls me sexy goddess?"

Viola gulped. "Uh, you're okay with _that_?"

"I am a little miffed we have an audience, but otherwise . . ."

The twin's eyes became impossibly large. "Who? What? Oh, crap." Her palm slapped her face. "Sebastian is going to have a heyday with this."

Wanting to know more, but intent on her plan, Olivia moved on. "At least we can solve one problem like this."

"What are you talking about?"

"We have a group of objective young men that I'm sure would love to be judges for our bikini-ass contest."

Viola beamed at the idea. She grabbed her friend's ears, pressing a rough kiss to her forehead. "Olivia, you are a genius. I love you."

Leaving the stricken blonde behind, she jumped up to bound over to the group of men. "Excuse me, gentleman." She gestured at her face. "Eyes up here. Thanks. So, my friend and I were wondering."

"I loved the show!"

"Your hot girlfriend?"

"You two rock!"

"Can I get your number?"

"Are you gonna do it?"

Viola gaped for a second. "Uh, thanks and no. Actually," and the idea suddenly was not so brilliant, though she was determined to see it through. "We need objective judges for a thirty-second bikini contest."

"Wooooooo!"

"Yea!"

"All right!"

"Sweet!"

"Rock on!"

"I'll take those as volunteering. Right. So, it's just the two of us and you'll be voting on whose butt looks better in a bikini. Mine or hers."

"What do we do?"

"You stay there. We'll uh, um. Liv?" She called.


	7. Cold Shower

A/N - revised 28apr2013

* * *

**Chapter 7: **

_**Cold Shower**_

Pedestrians crossing the street turned to stare as they heard the slightly-manic cries coming from the open Jeep. They caught a glimpse of an irritated blonde massaging her temple with one hand, the other hand tightly gripping the steering wheel. Her passenger was the obvious cause, with her screaming and wildly flailing arms. The Jeep's engine grumbled and their onlookers' self-preservation overcame curiosity. They hurried away from the teenagers. The light turned green, drivers in surrounding cars shook their heads when the blonde slammed her foot on the gas.

"I can't believe that jerk had the nerve to grope your ass. Not that I blame him, you have a perfectly grope-able ass, but seriously. I asked them to play judges, not sex-deprived assholes! If you hadn't of gotten the others to hold me back I would've torn out his eyeballs and fed them to him. Then, I would've taken him by the balls and . . ."

Olivia huffed. "I know, that is why I had them drag you to the car and why you are not driving."

"How can you be so calm about this, Liv? It was your ass being groped!" The incensed brunette grabbed the steering wheel. "Turn around, I'm gonna find that jerk and shove his . . ."

The vehicle swerved violently.

"Viola, I am not turning around." She slapped the offending hand away. Thankful the other cars seem to be keeping a good distance from them, she swerveed back into their lane.

The twin angrily pounded the dash with a fist. "Why aren't you more upset? You just got molested by some pig because I asked him to stare at your ass." The terrible realization dawned on her, eyes widening and a horrified expression scrunched her features. "Oh, God. It's my fault. I'm so sorry. If I wasn't such an idiot, that never would've happened. Liv, please, oh my God. I have to do something. Let me kill him, please." Viola flopped her head to her hands.

More than frustrated, Olivia took a deep breath. "I am taking us back to your place."

Sobs and tears began to fall from the twin's eyes. "I'm so sorry. If I'd only stopped for a second to think."

"You are going to take a cold shower."

"I'm such a complete moron! I should've kept my mouth shut."

"I will order the pizza, and then we are going to watch movies and eat popcorn."

"I can't believe. . ."

Olivia's patience finally snapped and she shouted angrily. "Stop!"

"Wha-?"

"Viola Hastings, stop flapping your lips for five seconds and let me speak. I am not turning around so you can assuage your misplaced feelings of guilt. What happened, happened. It is over and done with. This is supposed to be a fun weekend for us to get to know each other as friends. Not for. . ."

"But, Liv. . ."

"No! Not another word about this. The last twenty minutes of you going on about the depravity of the male species has been quite enough. You defended my honor and apologized to me. Nothing more needs to be said on this topic. In fact, if you subject me to any more of it, no amount of Junior League training will keep me from pulling your hair out. Do you understand, Viola?"

"But, I. . ."

"That was a yes-or-no question, Hastings."

"Yes."

"Good." Olivia pulled out her phone. "Now, what is the pizza place's number?"

Viola gulped and wiped her eyes. "503-8844."

Number dialed and 'talk' pressed, the angry blonde shoved the phone at her passenger. "Make the order, I am not getting a ticket for talking while driving."

"Sure."

At another red-light, Olivia looked across the street to a bus-stop. Several thuggish men were lounging on the bench, an elderly man was leaning on a cane, a woman with a small child was talking on her phone, and a couple was standing off to the side. The couple was too engrossed in each other to notice the looks from the men on the bench. A rather lewd comment reached Olivia's ears. She frowned, watching the couple's reaction. The shorter woman noticeably cringed when her girlfriend flipped the men off. Two of the guys laughed and held down their friend, whose face turned a bright red.

"Yea, I'd like an extra-large Hawaiian pizza."

Olivia glanced at her passenger, checked the still-red-light, and turned her gaze back to the bus-stop. The old man had his cane pointed at the red-faced thug still being held back by his friends. The mother continued to yap on her phone, her child watching the scene with wide eyes. The shorter woman had her arms securely wrapped around her girlfriend, keeping her from jumping into a fight. Olivia cringed at the rude comments and politically incorrect language she heard.

Honk.

A uniformed cop appeared from somewhere. She stepped onto the scene and called for order. Her voice brooked no argument and her posture said she meant business. The red-faced thug's mouth snapped shut and his eyes stared at the cop's hand on her gun holster. The old man and mother each took a step back. The couple remained motionless.

HONK! HONK!

"Uh, Liv? The light's been green for a while."

"Oh, right." Olivia glanced back to the scene, but the newly-arrived bus had blocked her view. She sighed and pushed the gas pedal.

The two remained quiet through several more stop-lights. Viola took a breath, hesitated, and finally nudged her friend's arm.

"Pizza might beat us home at this rate. What happened to speed-demon Liv?"

"I thought you liked it when I drove the speed limit."

"I think at this point you driving like a normal person scares me more."

Olivia's lips curled up. "Fearless Hastings scared by a girl?"

"More like intimidated."

"What?" Olivia's smirk was fast replaced by a curious frown.

The brunette hastily stumbled out a response. "I mean, intimidated by the scary speed-demon that you have the power to invoke. My poor Jeep just isn't used to high speeds in suburban areas. Not that I'm saying your driving isn't excellent, because it is. You didn't hit anything or anyone. I, uh, not that you would, it's just the driving really fast and sliding through stop signs is, uh, different. Of course, uh, well, I get the feeling that when you drive slow and follow the road signs it's because you're not okay. Like, not okay in the head, yea. Shit. I mean, what's wrong?"

"Just thinking."

"Thinking about what?"

"That couple at the bus-stop. Did you see them?"

"Yea, I can't believe she had the nerve to put her girlfriend in danger like that. Flipping off a bunch of thugs is not a smart move. She got lucky."

"Seemed like a familiar scene to me." Olivia murmured distractedly.

"Familiar?" Viola blinked and closed her mouth as scattered thoughts began to settle together. She opened her mouth again.

The blonde suddenly realized where this conversation could take them. Inwardly, she cursed and scrambled for another topic. "Viola, what was your argument with Duke about?"

"Huh, wait, what? We were talking about the people at the bus-stop." She gave her friend an annoyed look. Duke was definitely not what she wanted to be talking about.

Olivia cringed, Viola's sudden bouts of insight always did come at the most inconvenient of times. "Yes, we were. There are dozens of rumors going around about your fight. A lot of people heard you two screaming, but very few could make out more than two or three sentences. What was such a big deal that had the two of you at each other's throats?"

Viola grunted something noncommittal.

"Hmm?"

Petulantly, the soccer player crossed her arms and looked away. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Have you talked about it with anyone else?"

"No."

"You need to talk. It is not healthy to keep something like that bottled up." Gently, Olivia touched a hand to Viola's arm.

"Bottled is how I like it. Drop it." She glared at the delicate hand touching her.

The debutante sighed and removed her hand. "Viola, don't be a brat. Just tell me."

"No way. Ain't gonna happen," she ground her teeth, still refusing to look at her friend.

"It'll be less painful to just tell me now."

Viola completely lost it. She screamed. "Why is it you always have to get your way and avoid topics that you don't like? You didn't notice the light turning green nor the cars honking at you. What was it about those people at the bus-stop that had your complete attention?"

Jumping slightly at the angry outburst, Olivia's arms jerked the steering wheel. Cars honked until she got the vehicle back in her own lane. After getting her heartrate back to something normal, she continued with her own question, not willing to give up and answer Viola's. "This is not about me getting my way. It is about your needing to talk about what could possibly come between the Golden Couple of Illyria High."

"Golden Couple? Holy Shit, Liv. Just drop it, and I won't ask you about the bus-stop again."

"Viola, don't change to subject, you need. . ."

"It's you, OK? You!"

Silence.

"Me?!" The blonde squeaked.

Viola gaped for a moment before running her hand through her hair and sighing loudly. "Damn it."


	8. Avoiding Questions

**Chapter 8: **

_**Avoiding Questions**_

Only the growling of the Jeep's engine and the rush of air breaks the lengthy silence. Viola's face is a bright shade of tomato-red. Olivia alternates her gaze between the road and Viola, wishing she was parked already so she could commit her full attention to the matter.

"Wha-what do you mean?"

"Nothin'."

"Viola," Olivia growls.

The brunette's eyes look everywhere but at the blonde. She practically leaps in relief when her phone rings. Viola hurriedly flips it open.

"H-hello?"

Muffled reply.

"Oh, hey there, Paul, ol' buddy ol' pal. Have I mentioned lately how much I love you?"

Muffled reply.

"Yep."

Muffled reply.

"Nope, she don't mind. I'll tell ya all about it."

Olivia grits her teeth. Viola launches into full-force-Hastings-story-telling-mode. The brunette is not as tactful at avoiding questions, but can certainly do it. Olivia commits herself to waiting until they get back to Viola's, shower, fill up on pizza, and settle into a movie before trying again. She makes a mental note to claim the remote control. Only half-listening to Viola's narration of the day's events, Olivia continues driving in silence.

Finally, they arrive at the Hastings' residence and pull into their garage. Viola is still retelling the day's adventures for Paul. So far, the hairdresser knows everything, in exorbitant detail, up to the soccer player catching her first wave. Olivia cannot help but to smile at the memory of being called a sexy goddess. She puts the vehicle in park. Thoughtfully, she admits, even though Viola's stories are extravagantly loud and full of wild gesturing, they are very accurate. While Viola juggles her phone, unbuckles, and gathers her belongings, Olivia slips over to the passenger door and opens it.

Half startled, the brunette stumbles from the vehicle. "Uh, wow, thanks, Liv."

A gentle smile replies, "You're welcome."

She takes a breath, watching her friend retrieve her tote and shut the door. "Hey, uh, since I'm still on the phone, why don't you take the first shower and I'll wait for the pizza?"

"That would be nice."

They exchange awkward smiles and make their way inside.

"Great." The pair stops at the bottom of the polished staircase. "Towels are in the closet next to the tub. Mom randomly buys me girly shower stuff all the time, so anything you could possibly need will be in the bathroom somewhere." Normally, Viola would continue on in detail how she detests her mother's attempts to girl-ify her. This time, she catches herself and turns away, sputtering something into her phone.

Olivia shrugs and then heads up to Viola's personal bathroom. Vaguely she thinks to thank Misses Hastings for giving the twins separate bathrooms. She shudders at the horrid memory of Sebastian's; she only made the mistake of using it once.

Closing the door to the bathroom a snippet of Viola's conversation floats up.

"Paul, I told you already. I'm just gonna go with the flow," her voice becomes fainter as she moves away from the stairs, "and let the chips fall where they may. If something happens, it happens."

Quiet.

"Kiss?! Who said. . ." Olivia strains to hear the rest, giving up as it proves impossible to hear more without stalking the tomboy.

"This is why debutantes are not supposed to eavesdrop. Now it's going to bother me and I cannot ask Vi without her knowing I was eavesdropping." Olivia huffs and shuts the door. She takes a look around the spacious bathroom. Just as Viola said, the room is full of random bath and beauty products in various colored bottles and jars. Her smile quirks at the massive amount of half-melted candles everywhere.

"The girl is non-stop energy. How does she stay still long enough to have a candle-lit bubble bath?" She strips off her damp clothes, tossing them to the floor. Olivia looks over the products inside the shower. Unscented body wash, shampoo, conditioner, and a balancing facial cleanser. The blonde opens the little closet and inspects the various supplies. She shakes her head at finding product for curly hair.

"Mrs. Hastings is so odd. Oh, cranberry-scented soap. This is nice. And lotion to restore skin balance for surfers." Her giggle is soft. "Floral scented soaps, sugar scrubs, cremes, conditioners, and assorted accessories. Really, Mrs. Hastings, your little tomboy will never wear pink and smell like flowers. Well, at least I will smell nice."

Olivia turns the water on and waits for it to come to temperature. Out of curiosity, she opens the unscented bottles' lids and sniffs. She blinks and sniffs the rest, then does it again. The blonde goes to the sink counter and opens the body and facial moisturizers. She shakes her head and looks at the trash can. Its lid seems to be askew. She lifts it and bursts into laughter at the contents. "I cannot wait to ask her about this."

Still laughing heartily, Olivia hops in the shower. She washes away the salt and sweat from the day's adventures and giggles every time she looks at Viola's personal products. Finished, she shuts off the water and steps out. The teenager towels herself dry and wraps her hair with the cloth.

Knock, knock, knock.

"Hey, Liv. You done?"

"Yes, Vi. I am just putting some lotion on."

"Cool. The pizza's here and I wanna shower quick so it's still hot when I'm done. Mind if I jump in now?"

"Of course, just. . ."

"Great!" Viola bursts into the room. She takes a step toward the shower and stops. "Uh." The brunette's jaw drops at the fantastic sight before her.

A very naked Olivia, one foot on the side of the tub, leaning forward, her hands stilled on her leg. Streaks of lotion attest to her interrupted activity. The girl's eyes look about to pop from her skull.

"Uh, uh. Y-you, uh, l-lotion, um." Viola is frozen mid-motion, her gaze fixated on the naked body in from of her.

Somehow, someway, Olivia recovers with a surge of unabashed cockiness. She continues to smooth the lotion over her long leg. Viola's eyes follow the hands' path.

"I was wondering, Viola," she drawls.

"W-w-wonderin'?" asks the statue.

"Yes, was it you or your mother who switched out the unscented bottles with citrus-scented product?"

"S-s-switched? C-citrus?"

Olivia finishes rubbing the lotion up her thigh. She returns her foot to the tile floor, her side and back facing the statuesque brunette. "Yes. Did you know about it?" The naked girl reaches up and unwraps the towel from her hair.

Finally, Viola's brain jumpstarts. "Shit." She squeezes her eyes shut and smacks herself. "Sorry, I should've waited."

The complete sentence coming from Viola's mouth heralds the return of the blonde's modesty. Olivia hastily wraps the towel around her torso. If Viola opened her eyes, she would see Olivia's blush coloring her face, ears, and neck. "I, it's fine, Viola." She breathes out.

"Uh, the bottles, yea, I did, I do. I, uh, switch em. It keeps Mom from getting any ideas. Last time I let her know I liked a scent, suddenly everything she got me smelled like it. It took me years before I could smell lavender again without gagging."

Olivia scoots around the brunette to the sink where her facial moisturizer waits. "Oh, that makes sense. You can open your eyes, I have the towel wrapped around me."

Viola lets one eye peek out. Upon seeing the blonde's body mostly covered by the large towel, she breathes a sigh of relief. She allows both eyes to fully open and steps into the tub. Inside, she draws the curtain halfway and quickly strips, throwing her garments to join Olivia's. "You brought some pj's, right?"

The blonde glances in the mirror, no creamy streaks offend her; she mentally pronounces her bathroom activities finished. "Yes, I did."

Water splashes. "Cool. Well, hey, uh why don't you pick out a movie and scarf some pizza while you're waitin' on me, k? I'll be outta here in, like, five."

"Sounds like a plan." Olivia closes the lid on the moisturizer and scurries out the door to find her overnight bag.


	9. Viola's Mess

**Chapter 9: Viola's Mess**

* * *

A/N - Wow, everyone loved that last bathroom scene so much ... lol Guess I know what the audience wants - you dirty-minded people ^_^

* * *

Downstairs, Olivia decides to find a movie before loading a plate with pizza. She strides to the living room dressed in purple silk pajama pants and sleeveless top. Well acquainted with the Hastings home, she is surprised at the DVDs strewn all over the coffee table and several stacks on the floor. It must be Viola's mess, Mrs. Hastings would never leave her home in such disarray.

"That girl must have gone a movie-shopping-binge. My gosh, how many movies did she think we would watch? There are only so many hours in a weekend." She peruses the titles, recognizing some recent releases, romantic comedies, soccer-themed movies, action flicks, and dramas. The blonde creates a pile of movies she refuses to watch. A few horror titles make her cringe; they go immediately to the 'refuse' pile. Even the fantasy of a scared Viola jumping into her arms cannot vie with her dislike for the horror genre.

"After what happened in the bathroom, whatever it was, I need something to get my mind off of it. Which means," she sets down several DVDs, "no dramas, no romance, and definitely no shower scenes." She distastefully holds Tomb Raider by the tips of her fingers like it has suddenly become a disease-ridden rodent. The film drops to the table with a loud _clack_. "You are definitely not allowed on tonight's line-up. Which leaves Finding Nemo or one of these martial arts flicks. Oh boy, hard choice."

"Hey."

Olivia turns at the sound of Viola's voice. "Quick shower."

Damp hair, over-sized Adiddas T-shirt, short blue shorts, and fuzzy blue socks adorn Viola. The teen stands a few feet away, an uncertain smile on her face. "Yep. Did you pick something?"

"Finding Nemo."Holding up the chosen entertainment Olivia thinks that Viola seems relieved by her choice.

"Super. I haven't seen that one yet."

"Me neither."

"Liv, are you wearing silk?"

"Yes."

"Oh."

"Something wrong with silk?"

"N-no. I-it's just kinda, it looks uh, silk is really, silky, smooth, shiny. Clingy, kinda, uh, no imagination needed, not that I need it now, I mean, uh, silk isn't your usual slumber-party cotton silly pajamas look, it's feminine. Damn it, you look nice and I'm wearing," Viola gestures down at her little-kid-stuck-in-a-woman's-body outfit, "This." She finishes lamely.

"Thank you, I think. You look very cute, Vi. It's not your fault I wasn't prepared for the silly-slumber-party look. I really don't own any cotton pajamas." Actually, she muses, I thought about buying new pj's for this, but I wanted you to see me in _this._ "My mother decided a long time ago that sleeping in silk was the only way to go and removed all non-silk pajamas and bedding from the house. Dad didn't have much say in the matter. He bought me some cotton sheets for my dorm when Mom wasn't looking. If it makes you uncomfortable I am sure I can find something cotton and baggy in your closet."

"No."

Olivia raises an eyebrow.

Viola blinks. "Uh, did you get your pizza yet?"

"No, I was choosing a movie. You have quite a variety. Were you expecting to have the free time to watch them all?"

"Well," Viola fidgets.

Olivia tilts her head slightly, "Well?"

"Well," she runs her hand through her hair. Her fingers catch and twirl a strand.

The blonde waits patiently, wondering why such an innocent question would invoke such a hesitant response.

"Um." The brunette's shoulders slump, she looks away. "Actually, I did. I thought I would have a _lot_ of free time."

Not liking how Viola's sad expression mars her pretty features, Olivia frowns. "You thought you would be alone?"

"Yea," Viola sighs "I-I really didn't think you would actually show up today. So I went out and bought a bunch of random movies. Most of them I haven't seen. I figured that they would be able to keep my mind off of how bored and," she hesitates, glances at the blonde, "lonely I was."

"Oh."

"Y-yea."

Several moments pass by, Viola staring at a potted plant, Olivia staring at Viola's face, both speechless.

The shorter girl breaks the awkward tension. She steps forward, placing her hand on Viola's arm, she waits until green eyes meet her own. Olivia's smile is tender, her voice low and comforting. "You are not alone." She tugs on the arm in her grip, "I am here and I'm hungry. Let's watch the movie and scarf some pizza, OK?"

Allowing herself to be guided toward the kitchen, Viola's mobile face lights up. Her thousand-watt smile returns. "Yea!"

Half an hour later finds the two girls lounging on the couch absorbed in the feel-good movie. Viola finishes off her third helping of pizza and sets her empty plate on an end table.

"Crazy to think someone would put themselves out there like that, just to be together with someone they love."

Olivia thinks about the sudden statement and wonders how a movie about fish manages to feel like a twisted cartoon version of her life.

"It's a dad looking for his little boy, but still! He throws himself out into the big, dangerous ocean with no more plan than to ask other fish along the way if they've seen a boat. His only hope is this crazy girl-fish whose attention span is worse than mine. All he can really do is just keep swimming," giggle, "and just hope that it all turns out okay." She turns to her newly captivated audience. Expression serious she asks, "what do you think?"

"I think that if it's love that is at stake, then that's all anyone can really do."

"What ya mean?"

"Throw yourself into the wide unknown, just keep moving forward, hoping that in the end it will all turn out happily."

"Oh."

Green and blue eyes regard each other for long minutes until one set blinks and both pair return to watching digital fish.

Excitable green turtles welcome their new fish friend to consciousness.

"Hey, Liv?"

"Yes, Vi?"

"I'm really glad you came."

"Me too."

The orange fish apologizes to his blue companion for being an idiot.

"Hey, Liv?"

"Yes, Vi?"

"I'm sorry."

"Hmm, for what?"

"For being a selfish idiot."

"Say what now?"

"I never apologized to you for what I put you through when I was pretending to be my brother."

"No, you didn't."

"It's really belated, but here it is."

Viola has Olivia's complete, undivided, rapt attention.

"Olivia Lennox, I apologize for all the embarrassment, confusion, heart-ache, and rumors you had to endure because of my selfish, unthinking, idiotic, unscrupulous, pathetic bull-shit."

Remembering to breathe is suddenly somewhere near the bottom of one dumb-struck blonde's list of things to think about.

"My little stunt started with the best of intentions, but we all know how the road to Hell is paved. I never considered anyone else when I decided to prove that I was good enough to play on the boys' team. What I did affected a lot of people, most of them negatively. Admittedly, Eunice and Toby came out of it quite happily, though it doesn't make up for all the trouble I caused everyone else. I don't like the guy, but I royally fucked with Festes' head. I heard, from a very reliable source, that over a dozen people ended up in therapy. For Illyria High, the arrival of Viola Hastings was a natural disaster."

Blink. Experience loss of ability to process thought.

"Please, forgive me?"

Lungs remind brain of the body's _desperate_ need to breathe. Gasp. Exhale. Gasp. Exhale.

Slender hands twist hem of baggy shirt.

Gasp. Exhale. Gasp. Exhale. Gasp

Nervously fidget while watching hyperventilating blonde.

Exhale. She apologized. Gasp. Exhale.

Wonder if Mom has smelling salts or those little brown lunch bags.

Gasp. Exhale. Blink. Deep breath. Exhale. Deep breath. Exhale. Deep breathe. Pause. Blink. Exhale.

Paul was right. An apology should have been given _a very long time ago_. "Liv, if you don't say something soon I'm going to call an ambulance."

Breathe. Exhale. Breathe. Exhale. Breathe. Blink. Exhale. Breathe.

Mentally map the closest route to phone. Start to rise from couch.

Blink. Exhale. Breathe. Smile. "Thank you."

Freeze in uncomfortable half-standing position. Watch blonde carefully to make sure she is breathing properly. "You're welcome?" Half-question, half-automatic reply. "Are you OK?"

Relegate the task of breathing back to involuntary muscle contractions. Welcome return of complex thought processes. Continue to smile. "I'm fine now. You just caught me off-guard."

Return butt to couch, fold legs together, face normally breathing blonde. Sheepishly smile back. "No kidding. I guess I really underestimated how long ago I should have apologized to you. You sure you're gonna be alright?"

Take deep breath to calm nerves. Laugh tremulously. Mentally berate self for losing it and scaring the pretty girl. "Yes, just peachy."

Relax, yet remain worried for shaky blonde. "You sure?"

"Yes, Viola, I am quite sure. Thank you for apologizing and being worried about me while I made a fool of myself."

"Oh, good. You're welcome. I'm glad. I was and you weren't, I mean, you kinda did, but I don't care, it was my fault and. . ."

A burst of truly amused laughter cuts the rambling off. "You are so cute."

"Cute? I was rambling. . ."

"Sweetie, you are very cute when you ramble." Olivia pulls her knees underneath herself and reaches forward to embrace Viola. "Thank you again, and I forgive you for," she pauses, "let's call it the Soccer-Debacle."

Viola is immobile for only a brief moment before she throws her arms around a thrilled blonde. "I think there must be something wrong in your head. You are way too nice and forgiving."

"Too forgiving?" Her tone is teasingly threatening.

"Not that I'm complaining," is the hurried reply.

Olivia laughs softly, still holding onto her crush. "Of course. But I agree, there is something wrong in my head. I just cannot stay mad at you."

"Whatever it is, it works for me."

Neither girl makes a move to leave the embrace. Olivia finally decides she should let go or say something, but Viola beats her to it and does both.

"Sorry, I'm being clingy."

"You don't need to apologize. It takes two to make a hug."

Viola laughs and pokes Olivia. "Paul says that. You two hanging out behind my back?"

"No, silly. Great minds think alike."

"Really? Cuz ya know, well you don't, but anyway, when Paul and I watch movies, he uh," she pauses, considering her next words, "let's me cuddle with him." She finishes, quietly.

"The resemblance is uncanny."

"He has a hard time telling me 'no' too."

The comment reminds Olivia that sometimes Viola is a lot more insightful than people give her credit for. "What does. . ."

"Come on, lay back, we're missing the movie."

Olivia leans back into a reclining position. "Viola. . ."

"Shh. I want to see this." Viola lies across the silk-covered legs. Her head rests against Olivia's warm stomach.

"Right." She relents and allows herself to relax and enjoy the moment. Her delicate fingers tangle themselves in dark, silky hair.

Happy and comfortable, Viola sighs.

Two sets of eyes return their gaze to the story on the TV.

The clown fish lets go and falls, thinking that maybe, just maybe he might accomplish what he set out to do.


	10. Comfy

**Chapter 10: **

_**Comfy**_

Finding Nemo's credits began to roll. Viola jumped up, announcing an intermission. Olivia laughingly agreed before she headed to the restroom.

"I'll get the drinks and you pick the next movie."

"I got to pick the first one."

"Tomorrow I'll get dibs on movie choice."

"Fine then."

Twenty minutes later.

Olivia looks up from her relaxed position on the couch. "Did you get lost?"

"Hung up the wet beach stuff." The brunette sets down the drinks. "You comfy enough?"

"Sure, why?"

Viola plops down, snuggling up to the curly-haired girl. "Cuz I won't be moving for a while."

"Oh."

"Feel free to play with my hair again."

"Sure."

"The main menu is wonderful and all, but you can press play."

"Oh."

Viola eyeballs the blonde from her sideways position. "Eloquent much?"

"Yea," is the soft reply. "This is comfy."

The movie's opening sequence plays and is watched by the surfer and ignored by the soccer player in favor of regarding the surfer.

Above-mentioned-surfer notices the scrutiny. "What?"

"Nothin'," soccer player murmurs.

Brown locks are stroked by a small hand. "Evasive much?"

"Yea."

A very large, naked man enters a bar full of happy, drunk, cheering females. He walks through, ignoring the jeers and obvious looks of lust. There is a raised platform where a male appears, drawing the attention of the crowd and the naked man. Visual analysis concludes that the male's body type a match to his own and the leather garments are acceptable. Immediately, he adjusts his course for intercept.

"You have an odd sense of humor."

"Hmph."

The movie continues without further interruption.

End credits roll.

"Viola."

"Mmm."

"Viola."

"Mmm. Don' wanna."

"Vi, wake up, silly. The movie's over."

"So? Tur'noff TV, Imma comfy."

"Come on, Vi. Get up, I need to use the restroom."

"Mmph. Fine."

Dead weight removes itself from Olivia's lap. It stumbles upright and follows her up the dark stairway. The zombie stops at Viola's bed and collapses under the covers. Olivia giggles in the darkness and continues on.

She exits the bathroom and pokes the lump on the bed. "Vi, where's an extra blanket?"

"Mmm, wha', why?"

Olivia pokes the dark shape. "So I can sleep on the couch."

"Harumph." The lump pushes the blankets back, then lifts some its mass up. It suddenly reaches out, grabs the startled blonde, falls backward, and forces her into a horizontal position.

Attempting to free herself, Olivia tries to sit up and fails. "Viola! What are you doing?"

The Viola-lump wraps itself firmly around its victim. It grumbles, "Don' be stupid, Liv, th' bed's big enough."

"But. . ."

"N' buts, y' ain't sleepin' on couch 'n leavin' me 'lone."

"Vi," she groans.

"No. Y'ain't goin' n'where."

Olivia stops struggling. "Oh, all right." Not that she truly minds anyway. Held tightly to the body of her favorite person tops the list of things she wants to happen in life. She pinches herself to make sure she is not asleep and dreaming.

Nope. Not a dream. Her pulse picks up.

"What're ya doin'?"

Olivia counts her heartbeats, hoping it will lull her to sleep. One. Two. Three.

"Nothing."

Six. Seven. Eight. Nine.

"Liv?"

Eleven. Twelve.

"Yes?"

Fifteen. Sixteen. Seventeen. Eighteen. Nineteen. Twenty.

"Nev' mind."

Forgets to count while contemplating unasked question.

Quiet breathing and rustling fabric interrupt the silence. Olivia's eyes adjust to the darkness to allow her a dim view of her bedfellow. She sees a pair of eyes watching her. Thoughts nag at her conscience until she decides to express them.

"Vi?"

"Yea?"

"You remember the people at that bus-stop?"

Viola loosens her grip and shifts her position. "Sure, why?"

Warm breath tickles her chin and neck, reminding her of the closeness of Viola's body, distracting her. "Um."

"Liv?"

"Oh." Concentrating is proving to be rather difficult.

Irritation prompts proper enunciation. "You cannot bring that subject up and then not elaborate. Spill."

Right, focus. "The tall woman, she, well, she reminded me of you."

"Of me?"

"Yes. Probably meant well, but acted on impulse with little to no forethought, landed herself and others in a difficult situation. Protective and loyal to her friends, doesn't hesitate to do what she thinks is right, she becomes the center of everyone's attention."

"Yea, that'd be me. That would make those thugs Duke, Toby, and Andrew."

"Explain that."

"Well, Andrew and Toby tend to laugh off my wild ideas, but Duke gets all upset and usually ends up cooling off with those two."

"True. The old man was Sebastian."

"Yep; trying to stay out of it until a girl gets threatened. Then, he gets all manly. Paul was the chick on the phone. I swear, if it becomes possible, he will get one surgically attached."

Olivia thinks about how the hairdresser had called her out of the blue. Viola's theory certainly has its supporting evidence. "Somehow that doesn't surprise me. The little kid was Kia. Big, innocent eyes, watching everything going on. When threatened she clings to Paul."

"They're like puppies, I adore those two."

"And they seem to feel the same about you."

"The cop was definitely. . ."

"Gold!" They both cry at the same time and burst into giggles.

"Always butting into everything."

Viola groans, "He's such a pain, I am _so glad_ I can escape to the girls' lavatories when he's stalking me."

"I like to think of myself as a kind of big brother to my students." Olivia mimics the dreaded Headmaster.

"That was a scary good Gold impression."

Another round of giggles follows that.

"We missed one."

"Oh?" Olivia asks.

"Yea. The beautiful girlfriend that everyone seems to either want or want to talk about. She's there for her friends and forgives them even when they make trouble for her. That'd be you, Liv."

The night hides her deep blush. "If you say so."

"I do."

"You're sweet."

"Mmph."

Yawn.

Suddenly sleep becomes a very good idea.

Olivia's eyes drift close, cutting off her view of her favorite brunette.

"Hey, Liv?"

Lids flutter, eyes try to focus. "Yea?"

"Goodnight, Liv."

"Nigh' night." She nestles her body into the warmth of Viola. Eyes close for the last time, succumbing to the Sandman.

Viola's eyes remain open, fixed on the person in her arms. "Comfy," she mutters. Carefully, she brushes curly blonde hair aside and places a kiss on the bared forehead. "Sweet dreams, Olivia."


	11. Except on You

A/N - So, I was sitting there, watching The Fellowship of the Ring for about the 30th time when my phone alerted me to a new email. I had just been thinking about how The Hobbit was not filmed with the same care and ingenuity as the LOTR trilogy. Then ping! a new review for Pawning her Off. Wow. Occasionally, that happens, but this time was different. It came at the right time, when I was in the right frame of mind. I hate unfinished projects. Even more, I hate reading fanfics that really suck me in, but never get completed.  
Basically, **Zweley** gets the credit for being _that reviewer_ that got me off my butt to finish this.

For those that want to reread... I've slightly revised the whole story. It's all in past-tense now with some gentle editing, so the story looks less like the lazy-thrown-together _thing_ it was.

To my long time readers of this story, this is for you... A well-deserved conclusion.

* * *

**Chapter 11**

_**Except on You**_

"Breakfast?" Viola's perky face was the first thing that Olivia saw upon opening her eyes. The girl pulled back, revealing her very skimpy top, bare and oh-so-toned stomach, and cut off shorts. Not that Liv was complaining about the great view she had woken up to, but it started awake other things besides Olivia's brain.

"Uh?"

Viola smiled as though she had just won some great prize. "Do you want breakfast?"

"Yes, please." Olivia purred, letting her eyes roam across Viola's framed torso.

"There are, uh waffles and eggs, you want? Sunny-side, scrambled, poached... I mean, there could be. I can totally rock the kitchen like Martha Stewart."

Distracted from her more carnal thoughts, Olivia interrupted Viola's breakfast ramble. "You can cook?" Somehow, the idea of Viola in the kitchen, without it catching on fire, or possibly exploding just wasn't something Olivia could picture.

"Y-yea. It's a selling point of mine that I keep all locked up and secret like."

"That's really sexy." Light eyes settled on dark ones, and Olivia's mouth spoke before her brain caught up. Really, she had not meant to be quite that blunt about her attraction.

Viola gaped for a few moments. "That's uh, new? Cool. Very shiny, could get used to hearing things like that from you-uh, thanks. That is not a response I have ever heard for that before."

"You're welcome." Shifting in the bed, the blonde tossed back the covers. "You mind?"

"Huh? Oh. Yea. I'm in the way. Right. Moving now." Vi stepped back.

"Breakfast sounds delightful. After I get done in the bathroom, I can help you with the eggs. I saw you have mushrooms in the fridge."

"Yea. Sure. Sounds great. I'll see ya downstairs then." Viola turned around and stumbled out of the room.

The blonde watched until Viola's cute little butt had left the room before she made her way into the bathroom to take care of her necessities. When she was done, she slipped into her chosen outfit of a cute, flowing pink skirt that stopped above her knee and white polo that she left all the buttons open on. Checking herself in the mirror, she laughed to herself. "I do look like a tennis player. Maybe a bit more modest though."

"Liv! You ready yet? I'm hungry." Vi called from the first floor.

One last smoothing of her wrinkle-free shirt and Liv put on her best smile. She strutted down the stairs and into the kitchen where Viola was rather gracefully juggling five bell peppers.

"Another secret skill?" Liv chuckled.

"Nope. I've been juggling since I was four. I've performed at school talent shows, Renaissance Festivals, and birthday parties." She tossed each pepper into a bowl before flourishing a bow. "My favorite thing is flaming torches. Makes everyone squeal in delight."

"Really? Men squeal?"

"Sometimes, if they're like Andrew. Mostly the ladies though."

"You enjoy making the ladies squeal?"

"Oh yea, nothing better. Uh, happy people are good. Smiles, laughs, squeals of joy, little kids with balloons and their parents with cotton candy and teenage siblings that want nothing better than to text their friends about how awful it is to be stuck with family. But, I love mine. Usually, except when my mom makes me wear dresses or pink. Hate pink. Except on you. You look good in pink. Like, really good. Couldn't look better on anyone else. In fact, I..." Inhale. Vi's brain caught up with her mouth. She chewed her lip and looked at her bare feet.

"You what?" Olivia had crossed the room to stand next to Viola. Her hand reached out of its own accord, swiping out hair that had fallen across Vi's face. Neatly, she tucked it behind an ear so she could see her favorite soccer player's face.

The swollen lip was still being held hostage by white teeth. Viola stoutly refused to look up.

"Vi? You okay, hon?"

"No." The brunette whispered harshly. "You know what?" And she looked up, eyes wet, cheeks flushed. "I'm not OK. Haven't been since I freaking transferred to Illyria. Everything was turned upside down the moment I had to show up to class as Viola instead of Sebastian. People hate me, call me a transvestite, they call Seb awful things just for being my twin, my relationship with Duke took a nosedive that I could never pull us out of, we stopped being awesome friends, my bff's go to another school, and the only thing that's been keeping me sane is soccer."

Olivia swayed on her feet, stunned by the brunette's sudden outburst.

"I'm so beyond not okay, it's ridiculous! Top it off that Duke and I constantly fought about you, about things that did and did not happen, and I couldn't take it anymore. We broke up. Over you. Because he still wants you, and I like you way more than I ever liked him."

Stunned was a good word. Surprised, excited, confused, scared, and overjoyed were all good words too. Olivia settled on one though. "What?"

"It's why I invited you over this weekend, so I could tell you what's been eating at my heart for a month." Viola took a shaky breath. "I like you. I'm in like with you. I really do think you're a beautiful, sexy goddess, and I would be happy just to sit in your golden presence. Of course, I'd really like it more if I could maybe kiss you too. That would be all sorts of awesome-fantasticness, not to mention I'd probably be quiet and we all know how much a lot of people would love that. Not that my really caring about what other people think influences how much I want to kiss you. In fact... Mmmph."

Lips colliding with her own cut off her Viola-babble. A hand slipping along Vi's stomach to settle on her hip had her breath hitching. Olivia pressed herself along the twin's body and tangled her other hand in long brunette hair. Easily, happily, wonderfully, the teens' bodies melted into each other. Heat and sweat built up until a long moan broke their silence. Viola had to pull her head up to gasp a lungful of air. Chest heaving, she looked down into Olivia's eyes.

"I like you too." Olivia whispered.

"Oh. Well, that's cool. I..."

"Babble at me later, Vi. Kiss me more now."

"Or that."

They smiled at each other. Their lips met again, and they lost themselves in the feeling of being the climax of a silly romance story.

_**fin**_

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_**Thank you everyone, for your patience of many, many reviews and faves.  
**_


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